Charleston County approves draft of sales tax plan

MORNING HEADLINES | Charleston County Council members voted Thursday night to advance a revised working draft of a potential 2026 half-penny transportation sales tax referendum that would replace a 2004 tax.

The draft, which will be reviewed by council again in April, incorporates adjusted allocation amounts and a list of specific projects proposed for funding under the program.

“Nothing is more important to the future of Charleston County than how we address growth. Knowing both the cost and consequences of inaction, tonight’s vote marks an important milestone in this process,” Council Chairman Joe Boykin said in a press release. “This updated draft program gives residents a clearer picture of how their priorities could be addressed, both in how funds are allocated and in the specific projects proposed.

“Importantly, it remains a work in progress, and as we move into the next phase of public input, county council is committed to listening carefully, making adjustments where needed, and continuing to refine the program based on the feedback we receive.”

Under the newly approved draft, $2.7 billion (63.52%) would be for roads; $860 million (20.24%) for public transit, including $25 million for implementation of a downtown route study; and $690 million (16.24%) for the county’s Greenbelt Program

Featured projects include:

City of North Charleston
- Rivers Avenue overpass at Durant Avenue
- Mall Drive (S.C.-790) improvements
- Patriot Boulevard widening
- Stall Road improvements
- Better North Bridge
City of Charleston
- Battery Extension – West / Calhoun Street – Medical District
- Maybank Highway Southern pitchford and roundabout
- Glenn McConnell Parkway at Magwood Road
- U.S. Highway 17 South widening (Dobbin to Main Road)
- Better North Bridge
- Hagood Avenue improvement plan
Unincorporated area of county
- U.S. Highway 17 South widening (Main Road to S.C. Highway 162)
Town of Mount Pleasant
- Johnnie Dodds at Houston Northcutt / Wingo Way 1A, 1B
- Long Point Road Resiliency (Boone Hall Creek and two-lane section) 2A and 2B

If approved by voters, the proposed referendum would generate about $4.25 billion over 25 years. The combined tax would come up to a full penny thanks another tax referendum passed in 2016. The 2016 tax is set to expire in 2042.

The 2026 draft framework builds on months of engagement, including more than 29,000 individual public comments, 600 project ideas submitted to county leaders and about $68 billion in identified transportation needs across the county.

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In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper

CP OPINION: If it’s public money, it ought to be public. “‘So, uh, 49 wrongs make a right?’ That was powerful Cherokee County Republican Sen. Harvey Peeler asking exactly the right question in a Statehouse hearing room last week. The issue? Whether South Carolina should allow public colleges like Clemson and the University of South Carolina to shield the big bucks they’re paying their football players from disclosure under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.”

CP CARTOON: Stegelin: The DOW is over 50,000
CP CARTOON: Ariail: We’re being poisoned

CP FEATURE: Charleston-born cartoonist Cash lands a dream job. Caroline Cash, a native of Mount Pleasant, has had a winding career path that started with Charleston County School of the Arts (SOA) and art school. It blossomed into becoming an indie comics powerhouse, and now, the latest artist to bring to life the 88-year-old cartoon featuring Nancy and Sluggo.

CP NEWS: ‘Big Percy’ basket makes BIG debut at State Museum. There are big sweetgrass baskets, but then there is Mount Pleasant artisan Corey Alston’s BIG sweetgrass basket that was unveiled Feb. 19 at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia.

CP NEWS: High court says no to bid on North Charleston annexation. Nearly a decade after North Charleston jumped west of the Ashley River to try to snatch a tract of land near Magnolia Plantation along S.C. Highway 61, the state’s highest court swatted it down.

CP FOOD: Don Luchi shakes up sparkling wine industry. Shake up a bottle of sparkling wine, and it may explode out of the bottle. That kind of explosion is what happened when three Lowcountry entrepreneurs launched Don Luchi Prosecco in 2024 — the industry felt a tiny earthquake.

CP ARTS: In dark days, artists can help what ails you. It’s not you. And it’s not just the slog of February’s abbreviated daylight. Accelerated doomscrolling, pervasive financial uncertainty and the relentless bludgeon of bad behavior running rampant the world over is taking its toll on our collective psyche.

CP MUSIC: Southern Soul Festival brings classic R&B sound. The Charleston Southern Soul Festival will bring a showcase of classic R&B and contemporary Southern soul on Feb. 28 to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.

In recent headlines

Charleston County approves $1.2M Sam Rittenberg traffic contract. County council is awarding a contract to work on intersection improvements at Sam Rittenberg Boulevard and Ashley Hall Road in an effort to relieve traffic and get rid of a bottleneck.

Charleston County, medical providers to pay millions in 2022 jail death of man with mental illness.

Folly Beach’s Sea and Sand Festival rescheduled due to expected bad weather. Folly Beach’s annual Sea and Sand Festival has been rescheduled due to anticipated poor weather over the weekend.

S.C. senators grill S.C. school chief, athletic directors in crosshairs over finances. A panel of the Senate Education Committee on Thursday questioned state education Superintendent Ellen Weaver for more than an hour over her department’s interpretation of state law that has allowed homeschooled children to take advantage of taxpayer money for private school or other certain education-related costs.

Sex offenders living legally near Charleston-area schools. Dozens of registered sex offenders are living within 1,000 feet of schools and parks in Charleston County and many of them are there legally.

S.C. State president stresses security, transparency in public meeting after last week’s shooting. South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers stressed increased and new security measures and continued transparency in an online meeting held Thursday, in response to last week’s shooting.

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